There are some great new features packed into Apple’s iPhone 15. Out of the box and turned on, the most noticeable change in their latest model is a black pill-shaped cutout on the top of the phone, aka Dynamic Island, a feature that shows live information and shortcuts.
[Dynamic Island in use]
As well, the back glass has a frosted look and is made with a 75% recycled aerospace-grade aluminium enclosure for enhanced durability. The display is also brighter too: The iPhone 15 comes with a higher peak brightness of 2000 nits, but maintains the same 60Hz refresh rate.
Gone is the Lightning connector, replaced by an industry-standard USB-C outlet at the bottom.
[Shot with iPhone 15: f/1.6; exposure 1/60; ISO 125]
The iPhone 15 sports more contoured edges compared to the 14. The main camera shoots photos in 48MP with up to 4x resolution and 2x telephoto. The new Photonic Engine combines the best pixels from a super high-res image with another optimized for light capture, to result in a 24MP image with 2x the resolution, yet manageable in size for both storing and sharing.
With this new phone, it’s no longer necessary to switch to Portrait mode either. If your subject is a person or pet, the phone will automatically capture depth information showing the photo with an artful blur effect, which can later be viewed in the Photos app.
[Shot with iPhone 15: f/1.6, exposure 1/60; ISO 320]
These are all worthy upgrades, however the most interesting and intelligent aspect of the iPhone 15 is Apple Watch 9 and Ultra 2 integration, particularly when it comes to safety, health, and wellness.
Did you know that only 30% of Canada has access to mass cellular coverage? This makes Emergency SOS via Satellite a very important feature, as it detects crashes and falls, then contacts Emergency Services to dispatch help right away. Even without Wi-Fi or cellular coverage, you can connect your iPhone to a satellite to text emergency services and share your location with both friends and family.
Motion sensors work together for severe crash detection and an alert displays on screen for 10 seconds. After 10 seconds, a countdown begins after which emergency services will be contacted, together with your coordinates. Your phone’s volume is reduced with repeated messages, to allow you to speak with emergency services.
Fall detection will sound an alert so that you can interact with the screen to either dismiss the alert or to call emergency services. After 60 seconds, your watch will phone emergency services for you and alert your emergency contacts. Another important aspect of these life-saving measures is that together with your Medical ID info, your phone’s battery life will be shared so that emergency services will know how much juice is left in your phone.
Here’s a local example where Crash Detection (enabled by default with the iPhone 14) helped to save lives. Just last month (January 17), two people were rescued on Vancouver Island after their vehicle slid off the road in a location without cell service. With the help of Crash Detection, Arrowsmith Search and Rescue located them within approximately two hours.
Without the alert, Arrowsmith Search and Rescue estimated that crews might not have even learned the pair was missing until the following day, and would have had to conduct a more exhaustive search that could have taken weeks. The couple were found exactly at the coordinate that Apple indicated, which is remarkable.
Emergency SOS via satellite is currently available in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, the U.K., and the U.S.
Since iOS 17’s launch, you can now download Apple Maps to be used offline, which provides turn-by-turn navigation, points of interest, shops, etc. and even gets updated offline when there are road closures and delays. The same maps can be viewed on the Apple Watch if your phone is nearby.
Use Driving Focus to remain more alert on the road by limiting incoming phone calls to your closest contacts only. You can also send your location via Satellite via the Find My app, so that your coordinates will be shared with family when you’re off the grid.
Headed on a hike? Apple Watch’s Compass app, redesigned in Watch OS9, will enable you to retrace your steps via the Backtrack option, used in remote settings—away from familiar places like your home or workplace—and outside densely populated areas without Wi-Fi.
[Setting a Target Alert in Compass app]
With Watch, create Compass Waypoints and then find the distance and direction between them, get an alert when you’ve exceeded a particular elevation, see an estimate of the point where your Apple Watch was last able to establish a cellular connection or make an SOS call. Waypoints that you’ve created in both Compass and Maps can also be viewed on the watch.
Speaking of calls, international roaming is now available on the watch, and emergency services can be contacted via the watch, provided you have a cellular plan for it.
Family Setup allows family members to get their own Apple ID and phone number without owning an iPhone. This way, parents can call and send text messages to their kid’s watches. Another great aspect of Family Setup includes Location Notifications that can be set so that you see where your child is during the day (e.g. school, sports, clubs, etc.).
After a fun night out with friends, it’s nice to let them know that you arrived home safely. You can now set up Check In via Messages, to automatically send messages (a “Check In”) to let others know you’ve arrived. And if you’re delayed en route, Check In will ask whether you need more time, and provide location details to your contact(s).
Mood and emotion-tracking options are now available to support overall wellbeing. Via Apple’s Health app, tap Browse, Mental Wellbeing, then State of Mind, to log in daily moods and emotions. You can also take a mental health questionnaire to gain insight about current levels of depression and anxiety. Once you’ve filled out the questionnaire, the app generates a PDF document that can be sent to your doctor for further assessment.
Winter doldrums? With Apple’s new Time in Daylight feature, the ambient light sensor in your Apple Watch records an estimated amount of how much time you spend outdoors in daylight each day. You can monitor your (and your children’s) time spent outdoors to improve overall mental and physical wellbeing.
Under Sharing in the Health app, share any data stored in the app with up to five people. You control what data to share, and you can update details or stop sharing at any time. If a friend or family member chooses to share their health data with you, you can also receive notifications when there are changes to their health data.
And there’s always something new to discover via Tips, on both Apple Watch and iPhone.
Visit Apple Canada online for the full line-up of iPhone 15 and Watch Series 9 products and accessories.
